In addition to being mom to daughters Lyla and Eloise and son Ford, Katherine Schwarzenegger is also stepmom to husband Chris Pratt’s 12-year-old son, Jack Pratt. In November 2018, Chris finalized his divorce from his ex-wife, Anna Faris. About a month later, he made his relationship with Katherine Instagram official. By January 2019, they were engaged – and Katherine started preparing for her role as Jack’s stepmom.
Katherine said she employed a stepparenting coach ‘right when we got engaged.’
During an appearance on the Parenting & You With Dr. Shefali podcast, Katherine, 35, revealed that she sought out professional help when she learned that she would become a stepmom. She advised other stepparents or stepparents-to-be to do the same.
“Number one thing I say is get a stepparenting therapist or stepparenting coach, because I got that right when we got engaged, and it’s been incredibly helpful for me and also just understanding my role as a step-parent,” Katherine said on the podcast.
It helped her understand that role better.
Katherine decided to hire a stepparenting coach because being a stepparent is not the same as being a parent, which makes it “extra confusing.”
“She’s been essential to me with everything, just like how to communicate, how to also think of yourself in the role,” Katherine said of her stepparenting coach. “Because stepparenting, like parenting, has no handbook.”
She added, “Because I have the benefit of being in both roles, stepparenting is extra confusing because you aren’t a parent, you’re not a nanny, you’re not an assistant. You have responsibilities in all of those areas, but you’re not either of them. It’s a confusing thing to navigate where you fit in.”
Co-parenting can still be a challenge.
Katherine said the fact that Chris and Anna co-parent “very well” makes being a stepparent easier for her. That doesn’t mean it’s easy though. “It takes a lot of work,” she admitted on the podcast. “But it works when everybody is willing to put in the work.”
She added that “ego” can “definitely pop up” for her, but she knows how to deal with it: “I always go back to understanding that this isn’t about me. It’s about the child.”
Chris added that being a stepparent is a ‘tough job.’
Chris considered the dynamic from the child’s perspective while also acknowledging how hard it can be for parents. “Children are children and they’re on their own paths,” he said. “They’re probably having to continually process the fact that they are children of divorce and that can be a thing. If a parent is in there doing the hard work of creating structure for a child and holding children accountable – and it’s not a biological child – it can feel thankless.” In spite of this, “it’s a really, really important job,” he said.
In 2024, Chris praised his wife for being a great stepmom.
On Mother’s Day in 2024, Chris shared “a special thank you my darling Katherine for all you do” and mentioned her role as a stepmom to Jack. “Witnessing you be a mom to Lyla and Eloise and a stepmom to Jack makes me fall more and more in love with you every day,” he wrote at the time. “The 24/7 job of scheduling, transporting, loving, nurturing, managing calendars, planning activities, the nutrition, the boundaries, the rules, the patience, the gentleness, the firmness, the wisdom, and grace. It’s truly a marvel.”
